Can I Have This Dance?
by Jack M. Kaiser
Summary: Jack's dream is about to come true, but will a drunk driver steal it away from him before it does?


Can I Have This Dance?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything pertaining to Stargate SG-1. This is only a figment of my twisted imagination.

Author's note: A special thank you to ScruffyLovin for being the best friend a girl could ever have and whom I'm proud to call my evil brain twin. God help poor Jack when our evil brain twin powers unite! I also want to thank Kalinysta for being the best beta and writing buddy anyone could ask for.

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Jack hurried down the hall toward the kitchen, tightening the knot of his tie as he went. This was his third return to his bedroom for something that he had forgotten and he was starting to wish that he hadn't sent Daniel on ahead. With his tie just right, Jack glanced at his watch. Damn! He was going to be late for his own wedding. He picked up his suit jacket and slipped it on while he stepped into his brightly shined shoes. After mentally going over his check list to make sure he got everything this time, he grabbed his keys and started out the front door.

"Shit! The rings!" Jack exclaimed as he readied to close the door.

With an angry grunt he rushed back into the house and down the hall to his bedroom. He yanked open the top drawer of his dresser and reached in to get the blue velvet box containing the wedding bands, kissing it before putting it in his jacket pocket. Okay, that was it. He had himself and he had the rings so he had everything that was vitally important.

As he drove he thought about the past few months with Sam, their long awaited 'get together', the engagement, and the wedding planning. A wide smile was pasted to his lips as he brought his truck to a stop at a red light, tapping his finger nervously on the steering wheel until the light finally turned green again. The smile on his face stayed as he started down the road, he was going to marry the love of his life.

Then it happened. He only took his eyes off of the road for a second to glance at the dashboard clock and he didn't see it coming. The speeding sedan had been swerving down the street when it drifted into the other lane and slammed head on into Jack's truck. Burning white hot pain erupted in his knees and travelled up both of his legs, spewing out of his hips as the impact smashed the console of his truck back onto his lap. He could hear the snapping and crunching of the bones in his legs, the squishy pop of his femurs bursting from his hips. The pain became too much for him and he succumbed to the darkness.

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Sounds and voices that he didn't recognize permeated the darkness. He could feel hands on him. He tried to move to push them off, but all he managed to do was cause the pain to return with a fiery vengeance.

"Sir. Try to remain still. I'm an EMT and I'm here to help you. My name's David. What's yours?" The young EMT's voice was calm and reassuring.

"Jaaaack." Jack slurred out through the pain, suddenly realizing the brace that was situated around his neck.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"C-ar 'it-me." Jack could feel his tenuous hold on consciousness fading and his eyes slowly sliding shut as the pain started reaching an unbearable level.

"Jack, I need you to stay with me. We're trying to get you out of here and get you to the hospital."

" 'kay." It was all that Jack could manage.

There was a loud screech of metal and the pressure on Jack's legs was released, unleashing a cascade of pain that sent him headlong back into the darkness.

The rescue team worked quickly to free Jack from the twisted wreckage of his truck and gently lift his battered body onto a back board. Jack didn't so much as flinch when they strapped him down to the gurney and raced toward the back of the ambulance. When Jack's gurney was locked in place, the back doors of the ambulance were slammed shut and the rig squealed down the street to the hospital with the sirens blaring.

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Sam sat staring at herself in the mirror, watching with a smile as Cassie attached the last piece of baby's breath in her hair around the veil. She had waited for so long to be with Jack and now she was getting ready to marry him, to be his wife for the rest of their lives and beyond. Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall and she wondered if Jack had arrived yet.

"Okay, Sam, stand up and I'll take your picture." Cassie said.

Sam stood up and walked over to the wall mirror on the other side of the room. She looked beautiful in her puffy white strapless gown, her veil came up like a whitewater fountain and the bluebells with the baby's breath sprays accented it perfectly. Janet handed her her bouquet of white roses and stepped aside. Sam turned slightly and Cassie snapped the picture.

"Are you ready?"Janet asked with a smile.

"I still can't believe that it's happening, Janet. It's like it's all a dream. I'm so happy that it hurts." Sam replied excitedly, her heart fluttering with joy. "Can you find out if Jack's ready yet?"

"Sure will." Janet smiled and left the small room with Cassie in tow.

Sam sat back down at the table and looked in the mirror, taking a few deep breaths to settle her nerves. She couldn't wait to see him in his silky grey suit and best of all, she couldn't wait to become his wife. In her mind she went over their plans for the night and their honeymoon. She was still sitting there daydreaming when her cell phone rang. Mindlessly, she walked over to the settee and dug her phone out of her small handbag. "Hello?" she answered in a whimsical voice.

"Is this Samantha Carter?" A woman's voice asked from the other end.

"Yes, who is this?" She asked suddenly feeling a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"My name is Carla Anderson, I'm a Patient Care Coordinator in the Emergency Department at Pine Springs Memorial Hospital. I'm calling to inform you that Jack O'Neill was brought in here thirty minutes. He was involved in a car accident."

The rest of what was said was lost. Sam dropped down onto the sofa, the phone slipped from her fingers and onto the floor. Tears were pouring from her eyes when the door opened and General Hammond, Janet, Daniel, and Cassie came. Carla's voice could be heard calling Sam's name from the phone.

Janet walked over and picked the phone up while Daniel and Cassie tried to comfort Sam and find out what caused the sudden change in her.

Daniel looked up to Janet and saw that her face paled more as the conversation went on.

Finally, she hung the phone up and approached the couch with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Jack's been in an accident. We have to get to the hospital." Janet told them sadly.

"How is he?" Daniel asked in a strained voice as he handed Sam a tissue.

Janet swiped the tears from her face before she spoke. "They're getting him ready to go to the OR. He's hurt badly and in serious condition."

"Go ahead over to the hospital. I'll inform the guests and meet you there later." General Hammond offered, giving Sam a fatherly hug of comfort before he left the room.

"Get changed Sam, and we'll drive you to the hospital." Janet told her then walked over to Sam's duffle bag to get her clothes.

"No. I want to go to him now." Sam stated tearfully as she stood up, tossing her used tissue in the trash and grabbing a fresh one before heading to the door.

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The bedraggled group sat in the waiting room together awaiting news on Jack. Sam laid her head on Hammond's shoulder as he rubbed her arm comfortingly. None of them noticed the people gawking at them, especially Sam. It must have been an odd sight, a woman in a wedding dress crying on a General's shoulder. Sam looked tearfully at the clock for what seemed like the millionth time since they had arrived, seven-thirty. They should have been married and at the reception dancing right now, not Jack being in surgery and her waiting to hear if he's okay or not.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a tall doctor dressed in light blue scrubs entered the waiting room.

"I'm looking for the family of Jack O'Neill?" The gray haired man inquired as he looked around the large room.

"Over here." Sam said, waving her hand slightly in the air.

The older doctor walked over to where they were sitting, rubbing his hand across his tired face. "I'm Dr. Foster. I'm the trauma doctor in charge of Colonel O'Neill."

Sam reached out and deftly shook the doctor's hand. "I'm Samantha Carter, Colonel O'Neill's fiancée. How is he?"

"Right now he's stable. He had a lot of bruises on his jaw and upper chest from the airbag, none of which will cause any long term problems." Dr. Foster took a breath and looked at the sad yet hopeful expression on Sam's face before he continued. "His worst injuries were to his hips and legs. There were broken bones in his right foot and that ankle was fractured. Both hips were dislocated and his pelvis sustained a minor fracture."

Dr. Foster paused to let what he had said sink in their minds as he prepared to give them the worst of the damage done to Jack. "He had severe damage to both of his knees from the impact with the dashboard. There was significant damage to the tendons and ligaments along some of the other connective structure. The knee caps were knocked out of place and both were cracked. We fixed all of his injuries in surgery since he was stable."

"What's the prognosis?" Janet asked, the doctor in her coming out.

"Right now I can't be certain. We'll just have to wait until he heals a bit. With the damage to his knees he may have to have a knee replacement sometime in the future. Other than that, his hips may cause some long-term mobility issues, but, like I said I don't feel comfortable speculating at this time."

"C-can I go see him?" Sam asked tearfully.

"They're getting him settled into a room in the ICU right now. I'll have a nurse come and take you to him when he's ready," the doctor replied.

Fresh tears streamed down Sam's cheeks and her face paled. "Why the ICU? I thought that you said that he was stable."

"It's just for the night to keep an extra close eye on him. I'm going to keep him sedated so that he won't feel any pain." Dr. Foster spoke in a comforting voice, placing a gentle hand on Sam's arm, "He's going to be fine. It'll be a long tough road to recovery, but the two of you will get your wedding."

Sam smiled through her tears, "Thank you."

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Sam sat at Jack's bedside, lovingly rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb as she held his hand. She finally let Janet convince her to change into sweats last night and then she spent the rest of the night at Jack's bedside. The police had just been in to talk to her about the accident.

The guy that hit Jack was drunk, no doubt because he'd been served with divorce papers the day before the accident. She found it ironic that the guy's marriage had ended and he nearly ended an innocent man's life who was on his way to his wedding. John Charles Davis was killed on impact, the whiskey bottle still in his left hand. After the police left, Carla Anderson had brought in Jack's personal effects in plastic bag. Sam went through the bag, crying harder and harder with each minute that had passed. His suit and tie was all bloody and cut up, but the nurses had taken the time to fold them neatly before putting them in the bag. There was a smaller bag with his watch, wallet, and the small velvet box that held their wedding bands.

Sam reached over and grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and dried her eyes as the memories flooded through her mind. When she turned her attention back to Jack, she was greeted by two brown orbs staring at her.

"Jack!" Sam yelled barely able to contain her excitement.

"Hey," Jack greeted her in a raspy voice.

"How are you?" Sam asked caringly, adjusting the cannula that rested beneath his nose.

"Like I went ten rounds with Mike Tyson," Jack replied quietly, his voice tight with discomfort. He looked over and saw the disheartened look on Sam's face. "What's wrong?"

"Jack, do you remember what happened?"

"I was on my way to the church when a car hit my truck." Jack replied then his face crunched up as realization hit. "Oh, God. Sam, I'm sorry I ruined our wedding."

Sam shook her head. "No, you didn't, Jack. It wasn't your fault. The other guy was drunk and he swerved into your lane. You did nothing wrong."

"Is he okay?" Jack asked concerned.

"No, Jack. He died on impact."

Jack looked sadly up at the ceiling and the pain was beginning to flare slightly in his hips and legs. His heart ached. He wondered if the other guy had a family. Jack realized how close he too had come to dying in that crash. Could it have been avoided if he left a few minutes earlier or a few minutes later? Would the guy have just wrecked into someone else? Jack turned his eyes back over to Sam, her tear-filled blue eyes gazing back at him. "So? Ya wanna try this wedding thing again when I get out of here?" Jack asked trying to lighten his mood.

"We can try it again any time you want, my love. I'm just glad that you are alive and here with me. As far as I'm concerned we're already married," Sam said, a wide smiling gracing her lips.

"Still gotta get it on paper ya know."

"Yes, we do." Sam responded with a grin, "I'm going to frame our license and hang it on the wall so that everyone knows that we belong to each other forever." She then leaned in and gave Jack a long, passionate kiss.

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After three long months of being in the hospital and rehab, Jack was finally home. He still had a lot of trouble walking, so he had to walk with the aid of a rolling walker. He and Sam were sitting on the back deck of his house, just watching the sunset and enjoying being together at home.

Sam looked over at Jack as he stared thoughtfully out over the backyard. "Are you okay, Jack?" Sam asked as she reached over and took hold of his hand.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"God help us! Jack O' Neill is thinking. Shall I call the fire department?" Sam razzed him.

"So not funny," Jack retorted and gave Sam a playful poke. "I was just thinking that maybe we could just get married here in the yard."

Sam looked up with a big grin. "That sounds perfect! When do you want to do it?"

"As soon as possible," Jack replied then looked sadly down at his legs, "If it's okay with you, I'd like to keep it small."

Sam nodded. "Whatever you want my love. So just Janet, Daniel, Cassie, George, and Teal'c?"

"Yeah. If you want a bigger wedding someday-" he began.

"Jack, I don't care how big the wedding is so long as it's you that I'm marrying. You got that?" she replied intently.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Jack replied with a grin then snapped off a perfect salute.

Sam leaned over and gave him a kiss, pulling her lips from his and laying her head on his shoulder. They watched the sun disappear beneath the horizon and the sky go from a deep orange to the black of night.

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Jack watched from his bedroom window as Teal'c and Daniel finished wrapping the last of the ivy and roses around the lattice archway that they erected in Jack's backyard. Today was the day that he was finally going to get to marry the love of his life. With a smile on his face he slowly made his way over to the bed, keeping a white knuckled grip on the walker. He sat down gingerly on the bed and picked up his tie from the bedside table then wrestled it on. His hands were sweaty and shaking with anticipation making putting the tie on very difficult. Thank God for clip-on ties or he'd be in quite a fix right now. He got the tie on and looked at the clock, it was time.

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The small ceremony was beautiful and everyone was happy, especially Sam and Jack. Jack's radio played a charming aria from opera and the music floated lightly through the air. As the slow song began to play and Jack looked at his wife, the love shining brightly in his eyes. He reached over and took hold of her hand, lifting to his lips and peppering it with feathering kisses and asked, "Can I have this dance?"

The End


End file.
